Cheese-box



D. S. CROSBY.

cusfsf Box.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25. IQIB.

Patent/ed July 8, 1919.

' iii 1MB coLllluxA moduni cu.. lrAsmNa'raN. m cy DELL S. CROSBY, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CHEESE-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1919.

Application filed March 25, 1918. Serial No. 224,465.

To all whom t ma? concern Be it known tlat I, DELL S. CROSBY, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in C'lieese- Boxes, of which the following is a description,reference being had to the accompanying dravving, which forms a part ofmy specification.

My invention relates to a cheese box or container adapted to hold, forshipping or storage, a plurality or number of prints or cakes of cheese,similar in cross-sectional configuration.

The invention contemplates a box or con tainer made of suitablematerial, such as wood or fiber, and provided with partitions wherebythe box or leontainer is divided into a plurality of compartments, eachof which is intended to contain or hold a print or cake of cheese sothat the prints may be kept in separated relation; the invention alsocontemplating a box or container provided With suitable cleats orsupporting members secured to the upper surface of the bottom of the boxor container and disposed in a predetermined direction relative to thecompartments and therefore to the cakes or prints of cheese; theconstruction and arrangement of the cleats being such that the cheeseprints or cakes,-Which are in a more or less green state when packed,-will be provided with such support as will not affect or destroy theconfiguration thereof, and at the same time Will enable completecirculation of air about each print or cake, and thereby prevent thecheese molding as a result of the undue accumulation of moisture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a box or containerrovided with a cover-member having a series of cleats or membersdisposed in coperative relation with the cleats or members secured tothe bottom of the box, in order that the prints or cakes of cheese maybe given proper support and maintained in proper position, in the eventthat the box or container becomes inverted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a box or containerprovided with the aforementioned partitions, which not only rest uponthe cleats or members secured to the bottom of the box, but which do notextend entirely to the top of the box, so as to permit the prints orcakes of cheese to extend somewhat beyond the top of the partitions,thus not only enabling the ready handy ling of the respective prints orcakes, but also permitting complete circulation of air about therespective prints or cakes above and beneath the partitions.

A further object of my invention is to provide a box so formed as toinduce a thorough circulation of air therethrough and therefore athorough circulation of air about the respective prints, the preferredconstruction of the box consisting in having the two side walls,disposed at right angles to the cleats, provided with air admittingholes or ports, preferably arranged adjacent the top and bottom of thebox, at points intermediate of the cleats adapted to support the sameprints or cheese cake; and the side Walls of the box, provided with theair-admitting ports or passages, being so formed or provided with meansadapted to prevent the box or container being placed on end, that is,set up on the sides provided with the air-admittin ports or passages, aswell as preventing ili'erent boxes or articles being placed upon theside Walls having the airadmitting ports and thus preventing the propercirculation of air through said ports or openin s.

The ob]ects and advantages heretofore enumerated, as Well as otheradvantages inherent in the construction, may be more thoroughlycomprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawing`wherein:-

Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved box, with the cover or lidshown in raised position, and one corner of the box as Well as a portionof the interior partitions shown broken away.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view with the cover or lid shown in placeand cheese prints or cakes shown in the respective compartments.

In the particular exemplifieation of the invention, as disclosed in thedrawing, the box or container is preferably of the rectangularconstruction shown and composed of suitable material such as wood orfiller, with the side walls and bottom secured together in any suitablemanner.

My improved box or container is especially intended for packing andholding cheese molded into prints or cakes of disk or circular form incross-section; the prints or cakes being substantially of uniformthickness and Width; and for that reason` the width and length of thebox or container, as well as the depth thereof, is of predetermineddimensions commensurate with the dimensions of the prints or cakes it isintended to contain or hold, in order that each box or container mayhold a predetermined number of such prints or cakes of cheese and at thesame time provide sullirient space intermediate of the respective printsor cakes and the side Walls and partitions in order to permitcirculation of air about each print or cake.

The bottom' 5 of the box is provided With n plurality of cleats ormembers of suitable material secured in place against displacement inany suitalble manner; the cleats being arrangedin pairs and having theirupper surfaces beveled and declining toward each other, as clearly shownin Fig. 2, so as to provide suitable contacting points for the print orcake of cheese which is illustrated at 7 in Fig. 2; the upper beveledsurface of 'each cleat 4being of comparative width so as to give asuicent bear ing or contacting surface which will not inJure ordisfigure the circular configuration of the print or cake; The cleats 6are of such size' or height, and the bevel'ndicated at S is atsuchinclination or angle thaiI the print or cake 7, in addition to contacting with and resting on the beveled surfaces of the correlated cleats,will also lcontact at an intermediate point Witli the bottom 5 of theboi: or container, as shown in Fig. 2, thus giving each print or cake of`cheese three contacting or bearing points at the bottom which Willprovide adequate support for the cheese, even though the cheese is in amore or less green state, and thus prevent any objectionabledisfiguration of the prints The cleats 6 are of such Width and sobeveled and arranged, relative to the diameter of the cheese prints,that the prints or cakes may contact at a point intermediate oi thecleats of a given pair, with the. bottom 5 of the box, and yet at thesame time provide suflicient space, as shown at 9, intermediate of thesides of the cleats (i and the perimeter or marginaledge of the printsor cakes, whereby circulation of air beneath the bottom of the prints orcakes may be had.

The nboit or cdntainer is rovid'ed with a suitable numberA of preferalyinterlocking partition members 10 and 11, Which divide the box into apredetermined number of compartments, each of which is adapted to hold asingle print or cale. The partition members are spacedapart a distanceslightly greater than the dimensirisof the prints or'cakes 7, so thatample space will be provided intermediate of the prints or cakes and theartition members for the circulation of airithrongliout"thecompartments. and therefore about the prints or cakes. The partitionmembers l() and 1l may be of any suitable material; with the partitionmembers l() disposed transversely of the bottom 5 of the box andtherefor'e transversely of the cleats or u'iemlbers o; while thepartition members 1l are disposed parallel with the cleats (5, and sointerlocked or secured to the partition members l0 that the longitudinaldimensions of each compartment Will vbe disposed transverselyY of thecleats or members 6, thus compelling the prints or cakes of cheese 7 tobe inserted in the respective compartments in the manner illustrated inFig. 2, namely transversely of the cleats or spacing members (5.

The partition members 10 and 11 are secured on top of the cleats (i, asshown in Fig. 2, and thus provide a passage beneath the partitions forthe circulation' of air; and the partitions are also preferably madetolEay lesser height or dimensions than tlie' depth of the box and thereforealso of' a 'lesser height than the radial dimensions ofthe prints orcakes, so that the latter are permitted toextend ab'ove the partitions;the height' and arrangement' 'of the partitions being such as to alsoprovide a sulii clent space above the partitions to accoi'iir'nm datethe cover-'member or lid 12.

The cover or lid 12 is preferably provided with a 'pluralityof` cleatsor members 1.3, substantially similar in construction and ar` rangementto the cleats 6 secured on the'bottomA of the box. The cleats 13 on theCover orlid 12 are intelided5 to depend into lthe box' when 'the lid isVin place, as shown in Fig. 2, and are not only arranged in pairsparallel with the cleats@ on the bottom, but also preferably in verticalalinement therewith as shown so aslto contact with the tops of theniarginaledges or rims'of the iriirts or cakes. The cleats 13 of'eachpair, like cleats '6, are beveled towardeach other so as to provideproper support 'for the upper edges of the prints or cakes in the eventthat the 'box orcontaiiiei becomes inverted; the cleats 13, like cleats(i, heilig of such dimensions 'and bevel, that `an interincli'ate pointon' the rimeter 'of the nrints or cakes may con a'ct with the cove`iforlid 12 in a manner similar to `that previouslydescribed in connectionwith thc arrangement' at tli'ebot'to'i of tllebox or container.

It has been found in practice that the packing and storage of cheese in`boxesI Vor containers, as heretofore constructmh'namely with the cheeseprints in close contact with the bottom4 and sides of the'box` and witheach other', results 'in the accumulation of 'mclist'ure where thecheese contacts with the Walls ofthe containers, and with each other',which causes thelcheeseto mold and therefore, to a 4more vor lessVdegree 'be' come 'spoiled iniproved bor' or' con? tainer is adapted toovercome this serious objection, by reventing any contact between thedilrent prints or cakes of cheese and yet at the same time providingsuitable supporting means for the prints that air may pass entirelyabout the different prints or cakes and eii'ect a drying thereof.

In order to cause a complete circulation of air through the box orcontainer, I have shown the two end walls 14, namely the walls disposedat right angles to the cleats, provided with a suitable number of portsor openings 15 preferably arranged adjacent to the top and the bottom ofthe box or container and at points intermediate of the cleats of therespective pairs of cleats, as shown in Fig. 2; the ports 15 enablingthe air to pass len hWise of the box or container, interme iate of thecleats and also beneath and above the partitions.

In order to revent the box or container being set on en s, and alsoprevent close contacting end to end relation, the ends provided with theports or openings are also preferably provided at an intermediate point,with a suitable projection or block, as shown at 16. As is evident fromthis construction, the protrusion or block will prevent the box beingset up on end and also Will prevent a closing olf of the air holes orports, because it will be impossible to arrange or pack the boxes orcontainers in such close endwise relation as to completely shut ofi theair ports.

I have shown and described a box especially adapted for the storage ofprints or cakes of cheese, formed circular in cross-section and withinterlocking partitions, but

certain modifications may be made without, however, departing from thespirit of my invention, as disclosed in the appended claim.

What I claim is A cheese box having a bottom and four side walls, theupper surrace of the bottoni being provided with parallelly disposedcleats arranged in pairs and extending from end to end of the box, thetops of the cleats being provided with smooth beveled surfaces, with thetop surfaces of the cleats of a pair being disposed toward each otherand providing cheese-contacting surfaces of comparative Width, theheight of the cleats, the degree of bevel of the upper surfaces and thedistance between the cleats of each pair being correlated so as topermit the marginal edge of the cheese print or cake to contact with theupper surfaces of the cleats and the bottom at a point intermediate ofthe cleats and permit circulation of air intermediate of the cleats andsaid point of contact of the cheese print with the bottom, a pluralityof interlocking partition members, of less depth than the depth of thebox arranged on said cleats in spaced relation with the bottom of thebox, whereby the box is provided with a plurality of compartmentspermitting circulation of air throughout the tops and bottoms of saidcompartments, air-admitting openings in opposite side walls of the boxadjacent the top and bottom thereof, and a cover member for said box.

DELL S. CROSBY. Witnesses:

GEoRcE HEIDMAN, F. A. FLoRELL.

Bopies of this patent may he obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

